Page:Compendium of US Copyright Office Practices, II (1984).pdf/11

100-3

107

The establishment, maintenance, and availability of a public record.(cont'd)

has been made and which may constitute prima facie evidence of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate, (2) the publication of the Catalogs of Copyright Entries, which provide the basic facts of registration for all registered works, (3) the issuance of certi­ficates certifying that transfers of copyright ownership or other documents pertaining to copy­rights have been recorded, (4) the issuance of certified copies of applications, deposit copies, documents, and various other materials submitted to the Copyright Office in connection with registra­tions and recordations, (5) the maintenance in the Copyright Office of the Copyright Card Catalog, for public use in searching for completed registrations and recorded documents, and (6) the providing of a Copyright Office reference service to furnish, by means of written search reports, the facts of registration and recordation contained in the files of the Office. This system depends, for its reliability and usefulness, primarily upon the examination process.

108

The examination process. The examination process, which is the principal means of creating and main­taining a reliable and useful public record, includes the examination of (1) the copies or phonorecords of works submitted for registration, (2) the application for registration, (3) all other material and correspondence submitted with the claim, and (4) copies of any Copyright Office correspondence relating to the registration of the claim.

108.01

Nature of examination. Examination is made to determine (1) whether or not the work for which registration is sought constitutes copy­rightable subject matter and (2) whether or not the other legal and formal requirements have been met, including those set forth in the Copyright Office Regulations and in the Com­pendium of Copyright Office Practices.

[1984]